With some six million installations, MySQL is a fabulously popular database. All sorts of users, developers, system adminstrators, and database administrators (DBAs) are deploying and managing MySQL. The question is how to make that administration as simple and straightforward as possible for these myriad types of users, many of whom don't want to be professional DBAs. In this sponsored podcast discussion, we delve into the issues of MySQL management with Brian Aker, director of architecture at MySQL, and Michael Baum, chief executive Splunker at Splunk.

Follow the money, my mother always told me. Venture capitalists and angels don't have that luxury, however -- they need to lead with the money. So that's why it's strong and beneficial medicine for enterprise IT strategists to gain insights into where the VCs see the next big opportunities. My discussion here (37 minutes) with Jeff Clavier, founder and managing partner of SoftTech Venture Consulting, Palo Alto, CA, and editor of the Software Only blog, squarely hits the mark on insights. Listen as we dive into VC activites in 2005, what defines Web 2.0 for the enterprise, and where viral ecommerce and knowledge commerce are heading.